Titanic Memorial (Washington, D.C.) on:
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The ''Titanic'' Memorial is a granite statue in
Women's ''Titanic'' Memorial
Great Lakes ''Titanic'' Society
Quincy, Massachusetts Public Library
Alternate design
Save Outdoor Sculpture Survey.
{{Portal bar, United States, Visual arts Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C. Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. 1931 sculptures 1931 establishments in Washington, D.C. Statues in Washington, D.C. Granite sculptures in Washington, D.C. Sculptures of men in Washington, D.C. RMS Titanic memorials Southwest Waterfront
southwest
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
Washington, D.C., that honors the men who gave their lives so that women and children might be saved during the RMS ''Titanic'' disaster. The thirteen-foot-tall figure is of a partly clad male figure with arms outstretched standing on a square base. The base is flanked by a square exedra
An exedra (plural: exedras or exedrae) is a semicircular architectural recess or platform, sometimes crowned by a semi-dome, and either set into a building's façade or free-standing. The original Greek sense (''ἐξέδρα'', a seat out of d ...
, created by Henry Bacon, that encloses a small raised platform. The statue was erected by the Women's ''Titanic'' Memorial Association.
The memorial sits at Fourth and P streets, SW, in Washington Channel Park next to the Washington Channel
The Washington Channel is a channel that parallels the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. It is located between the Southwest Waterfront on the east side and East Potomac Park on the west side. The channel is long, receives outflow from the T ...
and Fort Lesley J. McNair. It was designed by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (January 9, 1875 – April 18, 1942) was an American sculptor, art patron and collector, and founder in 1931 of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. She was a prominent social figure and hostess, ...
, who won the commission in open competition, and sculpted by John Horrigan from a single piece of red granite furnished from Westerly, Rhode Island
Westerly is a town on the southwestern shoreline of Washington County, Rhode Island, first settled by English colonists in 1661 and incorporated as a municipality in 1669. It is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state with a popula ...
, by the Henry C. Smalley Granite Co. It was unveiled May 26, 1931, by Helen Herron Taft
Helen Louise Taft (née Herron; June 2, 1861 – May 22, 1943), known as Nellie, was the wife of President William Howard Taft and the first lady of the United States from 1909 to 1913.
Born to a politically well-connected Ohio family, Nel ...
, the widow of President Taft.
Originally located at the foot of New Hampshire Avenue, NW in Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park is a large urban park that bisects the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. The park was created by an Act of Congress in 1890 and today is administered by the National Park Service. In addition to the park proper, the Rock Cr ...
along the Potomac River, the monument was removed in 1966 and placed into temporary storage to accommodate the Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
. The memorial was re-erected without ceremony in 1968 at its current location.
The French government purchased a replica of the head of the memorial, carved in marble, which it exhibited in Paris in 1921. Currently, this replica is housed in the Musée du Luxembourg
The Musée du Luxembourg () is a museum at 19 rue de Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. Established in 1750, it was initially an art museum located in the east wing of the Luxembourg Palace (the matching west wing housed the Marie de' ...
.
Inscription
Front:
TO THE BRAVE MEN WHO PERISHED IN THE
TITANIC
APRIL 15 1912
THEY GAVE THEIR
LIVES THAT WOMEN
AND CHILDREN
MIGHT BE SAVED ERECTED BY THE
WOMEN OF AMERICA
Back:APRIL 15 1912
THEY GAVE THEIR
LIVES THAT WOMEN
AND CHILDREN
MIGHT BE SAVED ERECTED BY THE
WOMEN OF AMERICA
TO THE YOUNG AND THE OLD
THE RICH AND THE POOR
THE IGNORANT AND THE LEARNED
ALL
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES NOBLY
TO SAVE WOMEN AND CHILDREN
THE RICH AND THE POOR
THE IGNORANT AND THE LEARNED
ALL
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES NOBLY
TO SAVE WOMEN AND CHILDREN
See also
* Butt–Millet Memorial Fountain *List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 6
This is a list of public art in List of neighborhoods of the District of Columbia by ward, Ward 6 of Washington, D.C.
This list applies only to works of public art accessible in an outdoor public space. For example, this does not include artwor ...
* " Women and children first"
References
External links
Women's ''Titanic'' Memorial
Great Lakes ''Titanic'' Society
Quincy, Massachusetts Public Library
Alternate design
Save Outdoor Sculpture Survey.
{{Portal bar, United States, Visual arts Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C. Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. 1931 sculptures 1931 establishments in Washington, D.C. Statues in Washington, D.C. Granite sculptures in Washington, D.C. Sculptures of men in Washington, D.C. RMS Titanic memorials Southwest Waterfront